What is Threads, Instagram’s Twitter rival? Here’s what you need to know

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Meta, the parent company behind Facebook and Instagram, officially launched Threads on Wednesday. The app is meant to be a direct competitor to Twitter, and is already being called a “Twitter killer” by tech experts.

The microblogging platform received 10 million sign-ups within seven hours of its launch, Meta chief executive officer Mark Zuckerberg said on his Threads account, and had reached 30 million by Thursday morning. Notable celebrities, including Jennifer Lopez, Kim Kardashian, Shakira, Gordon Ramsay and Tom Brady, as well as a host of corporate brands have already joined.

Threads is launching amid federal backlash to Meta’s decision to block Canadian news content for Canadian users once the Online News Act, also known as Bill C-18, comes into effect.

Here’s a breakdown of everything you need to know about the new app.

What, exactly, is Instagram’s Threads app?

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The new app, which bears a striking resemblance to Twitter, is available for download on the Apple App Store and Android Play Store. The app has been rolled out to more than 100 countries around the world, excluding users in the European Union owing to regulatory concerns.

Threads is meant for “sharing text updates and joining public conversations,” according to a Meta blog post. It allows users to post text, links, images or videos, and to like, comment, repost or share content. Anyone who has an Instagram account can create a Threads account, allowing users to keep their Instagram usernames and retain followers. Posts can be up to 500 characters long and include links; photos and videos can be up to five minutes long.

Threads accounts can be listed as public or private, but users under 16 will automatically be defaulted into a private profile. Verified accounts on Instagram will automatically be carried over to Threads.

“The vision for Threads is to create an option and friendly public space for conversation,” Mr. Zuckerberg said in a Threads post after the launch. “We hope to take what Instagram does best and create a new experience around text, ideas and discussing what’s on your mind.”

The company has a long history of introducing new features based on the success of rival firms. In 2016, in response to the popularity of Snapchat, Instagram added the now-ubiquitous “Stories” feature, which allows users to create posts that disappear after a fixed amount of time. More recently, “Reels,” its short-form video feature, has sought to challenge the rise of TikTok.

Mastodon and other social media sites emerge as alternatives to Twitter

How do you get an Instagram Threads account?

You can get the app by downloading it for iOs or Android, and through Threads.net (note: the app does not currently work on desktop). Once the app is downloaded, users are asked to log in to their Instagram account. Users can keep the same username, password and account name, but have the option to customize their profile – by editing their bio, for example – specifically for Threads. Users can also import the list of accounts they follow directly from Instagram.

How does Threads work?

The platform looks and functions a lot like Twitter, but with Instagram’s look and flair. The feed will feature posts by people who users follow, along with recommended content from other creators, according to Meta. Threads posts will also be available for sharing onto Instagram stories or as a link to another platform.

Threads allows for users to restrict who can respond to their posts if they choose, and uses filters similar to Instagram to hide words based on restrictions. It also has a “Take a break” tool, where users can select 10, 20 or 30-minute reminders when they’ve used the app for that period of time.

There were several reports of glitches within the app’s early hours, including Zuckerberg’s posts not loading in several countries. As well, Instagram chief executive officer Adam Mosseri responded to concerns that Threads accounts can only be deleted if users delete Instagram accounts.

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“The real test is not if we can build up a lot of hype, but if you all find enough value in the app to keep using it over time,” Mr. Mosseri posted on the new platform. “There are tons of basics that are missing: search, hashtags, a following feed” and “direct messaging.”

He said they are working on such changes, but that “it’ll take time.”

What does this mean for Twitter?

Threads arrives after months of Mr. Zuckerberg and Twitter owner Elon Musk trading barbs. The two tech moguls have even threatened to fight each other in a real-life mixed martial arts cage match in Las Vegas.

The launch has also coincided with a series of controversial decisions by Mr. Musk, including limiting the number of tweets users can read each day.

In a reply to a tweet detailing how he deleted Instagram in 2018, Mr. Musk wrote, “It is infinitely preferable to be attacked by strangers on Twitter, than indulge in the false happiness of hide-the-pain Instagram.”

Twitter responded on Thursday by threatening to sue Meta, according to the publication Semafor, citing a letter delivered to Zuckerberg by a lawyer for Twitter. Twitter was not immediately available for comment. Reuters could not immediately verify the Semafor report.

Mr. Musk bought Twitter for US$44-billion last October, but its value has since plummeted amid deep staffing cuts and content moderation controversies that have alienated both users and advertisers.

What are the privacy concerns, and what’s being done about them?

Meta’s new app also has raised data privacy concerns, specifically around the information it stores. Threads could collect a wide range of personal information — including health, financial, contacts, browsing and search history, location data, purchases and “sensitive info,” according to its data privacy disclosure on the App Store.

In response to the privacy concerns from traditional social media sites like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, decentralized social media accounts have been gaining in popularity. Mastodon, Bluesky, Minds, Lenster, Odysee, DLive, and DTube are all examples of decentralized social media accounts. They are led by blockchain technology and store user content and data securely on a network run on independent servers.

That’s why Instagram has said that it wants to make it easier for Threads to operate seamlessly with other platforms in a similar fashion, according to the New York Times. It reports on Instagram’s goal is to have Threads work across multiple apps on “a federated universe of services that share communication protocols.” This concept would ensure creators and influencers would not have to start from scratch on each app. For example, if a creator builds a large following on Threads, they would be able to take those followers to other platforms built on the same technology.

With reports from Reuters and The Associated Press